The present invention generally relates to a baggage handling system and, more particularly, to a baggage handling system that is configured to share a common belt and drive between two angle conveyor sections.
Two angled conveyors are often connected together by a hitch conveyor section so that the two conveyor sections can share a common conveyor belt and a common drive. With the elimination of unnecessary belts and drives and their associate electrical wiring, controls, and programming, significant savings in costs can be realized. However, the traditional configuration of a hitch conveyor section is such that there is a gap in the conveying direction of the conveying surface where the conveyor belt is extended around the pulleys that redirect the belt from its angular orientation on one conveyor section to its other angular orientation on the second conveyor section. This gap creates a debris accumulation point, which is unacceptable and not permitted in baggage handling system applications.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that allows two angled conveyor sections to be coupled together so that they can share a common belt and drive to reduce costs but without the attendant problems associated with traditional hitch conveyors.